Conversations on mental health awareness

This week is Mental Health Awareness week in the UK. It has become a regular activity here and the community is committed to making and keeping the subject in people’s minds. There is a real worry that the nation’s mental health is at risk and even more worrying is the fact kids as young as 12 and even younger are developing mental health problems largely as a result of the impact of that beast called social media and even more importantly the disappearing strength and eroding of the family unit. It goes without saying that we in Nigeria are in the throes of our own mental health crisis and we certainly are experiencing some of the same reasons. We have no choice but to face it and to keep the conversations alive. Our mental health is also at risk!

The World Health Organisation describes mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.’ The WHO also estimates that about 20 per cent of Nigerians suffer mental illnesses. This number is clearly on the increase.

Mental health generally refers to how we think, feel, and act and how we are able to cope with life; in other words, how we behave and relate to our surroundings.

The same ways in which we have physical health and need to look after it in order to be able to live well and carry out our daily tasks similarly we also have mental health that requires equal attention in order for us to function.

Writing about mental health is a huge task and many people have covered it and I hope many more will continue to explore it as it has become and continues to be a topic that affects many people in the world.

It’s important when exploring what mental health is, to also look at what it is not particularly within the African culture. We have to look at how we talk about it when we do, how it is depicted in the print and electronic media.

There are some frequently asked questions about mental health and these are just a few of them:

What is mental health?

Who can have mental health?

What is mental health disorder?

How do I know if I have it?

Can I avoid it?

Is it contagious?

Can I get over it?

What are its signs?

How do I treat it?

Will reoccur if treated?

We live in an environment where many people get their primary impressions of mental health through misconceptions, myths, TV and print media and these sources mostly suggest mental illness inexorably leads to violence and a range of negative experiences. In addition to this is the traditional and cultural dimension that compounds the problem and support the misinformation and fear around the subject.

Mental illness is not caused by demons, evil spirits or curses and is not a punishment from God. It is not a spiritual thing as this tag is usually understood as a negative thing within the African culture. You have nothing to be ashamed of and you have done nothing wrong. We must do all we can as a society to break the stigma around mental health in our communities and create as many sources and avenues where people affected can get the help they need and deserve.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioural, neurological and substance misuse disorders. According to statistics produced by the WHO in 2002, ‘54 million people globally suffer from depression; 25 million from schizophrenia, 15 million form drug use abuse and nine million affected by alcohol use disorder. Those were staggering statistics in 2002; the mind boggles to think what the figures will say in 2018, considering the state of the world today.

Mental ill heath can develop as a result of social, psychological and biological factors or the combination of all. This can be manifested through chronic socio economic pressures, gender-based oppression (including harmful traditional practices), unhealthy lifestyles and genetic or hereditary reasons. This is not an exhaustive list; there may be many other reasons why a person’s mental health may falter.

The time has come when we as a nation, society, community must pay more and closer attention to our mental health. We must advocate for and promote better mental health. This would include creating better living conditions and environments that support positive mental health within our homes, work places and where we socialise.

In addition to this and maybe even more important is the urgent need for the government to set up effective National Mental Health policies that can be fed into governmental and non-governmental sectors. There are ongoing health programmes, but mental health is still grossly underrepresented and invisible.

Government must find the will to invest in regular and ongoing education, raising awareness, and training on mental health. Mental health care and treatment, including talking therapies and other psychological support, treatment of depression, support for mental health services are all urgently required.

The theme of mental health awareness week this year is looking at stress. It is a great theme as the world and the environment is experiencing extreme stress in many ways. Chronic stress increases our risk of addictive and damaging behaviour, of developing anxiety, depression and other mental and physical health problems.

Stress is something that can manifest in a variety of symptoms, sometimes it can be so innocuous as to be mistaken or misunderstood for something unimportant thereby left unattended until it actually becomes a crisis. Everybody’s stress level or breaking point is different so it is imperative to be aware of your own. You don’t have to be a physician to know when you are feeling out of sorts or feeling like you can’t cope with life or you are feeling particularly anxious continuously.

I have written about stress and its damaging effects, on a number of occasions. I keep returning to it for many reasons. I see the insidious effects of it on a daily basis. Some of it is within my own life, when I feel a sense of being out of control or overwhelmed. I have learnt to identify what my triggers are and what my warning signals tell me. I have learnt that I ignore this at my peril. I have also seen the effects of stress in the lives of friends, family, colleagues and sometimes even the ordinary man on the street. The thing about stress is that if ignored it can lead to other more serious health problems

Sometimes it’s the very things that give us joy and comfort that can bring us the most stress. For instance, work family obligations and money worries can all add up and leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Of course there is good stress and bad stress; the first one tends to have a motivating effect on us leading us to be more productive and to take healthy risks to advance or promote career options. Then there is the other stress (the bad one), that makes you have many sleepless nights, and impacts adversely on your mental and physical health.

According to medical diagnosis on stress, when you are in a stressful situation, your body releases hormones, adrenaline among other things which go on to cause the physical symptoms of stress. Some of these include sweating, cramps, feeling dizzy, fainting, chest pains, constipation, sexual problems, insomnia and increase in blood pressure. You may have a few or many of these symptoms; consequently your immune system may be compromised, making you more susceptible to illness. As we know, the long-term effect of unmanaged high blood pressure may result in heart attacks or strokes.

Life today can be very stressful. The tough economic climate has hit many people quite harshly. People have to engage in things that may not necessarily be conducive to healthy living. Families are struggling to stay together and if they manage to, many are not necessarily cohesive or supportive to one another.

The ways to cope with stress include seeking out a trusted person or people to share your worries with (a problem shared is a problem halved). You can get tremendous relief from having a good talk with someone. But you need to be selective in your choice of confidants so as not to create more stress for yourself.

Taking some control of your life if you find you haven’t can lead to feeling strong, confident, and empowered and with reduced stress; in the knowledge that you are living your best life.

Sometimes engaging in mindless activities and chatter, rather than decrease stress, has the potential to increase it as a result of its monotony and fruitlessness, leaving you feeling empty and unfulfilled.

One has to be creative in the things one does to de-stress in one’s life. In these difficult financial times where many people are looking for any work they can find, it may sound ludicrous to suggest reducing your workload, but it just might be helpful to remember that if you fall ill, you lose out altogether anyway and maybe with even more disastrous consequences.

Try to bring more humour and fun in your life and remember the adage that laughter is the best medicine. A little exercise goes a long way, so try to include some in your daily life. Not only does it help to produce useful things for your body, it also has all the benefits of weight management and it reduces stress.

I feel a sense of responsibility and humbled that I have had the privilege to write this column over the past seven years. The main remit has been to continue to raise awareness about mental health and to keep the subject matter alive and in our consciousness if, for no other reason, than because of the evidence of the collapse of this important part of our health that we are experiencing.

How can we remove the fear, stigma, misunderstanding that surround the mere mention of mental health in a way that will allow people to consider it an integral part of the totality of our health and give people the confidence to seek the appropriate support they might need? We have to come away from ascribing mental health problems to mythical fantasies or ‘dark forces’, which only creates more fear and allows for a genuine medical condition to go untreated.

The contents on this page are only meant for information purposes and must not be used to diagnose or to treat any medical condition. If you feel you are affected by anything you read, please consult a health professional.

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